Different production technologies create different conditions for the division of labor. It is easier to separate some activities from each other than others. One way to discuss this structurally is by using classification of production technologies. Thompson distinguishes serially connected technologies, mutual technologies and intermediary technologies.

Serially connected technologies are characterized by one of the activities having to be carried out before the next IAS Examination can be performed. Consequently, there is a sequential dependence between them. Mutual technologies are characterized by activities being carried out simultaneously and interactively. This means that it is hard to tell them apart if one activity ceases to progress the other activities also stop. Intermediary technologies are different from the other two in that there is no clear connection between subsequent activities.

The specific technology involved consequently influences the possibilities for the division of labor between the actors. The easiest way of separating the activities is in the case of intermediary technologies, then serially connected technologies; the hardest to separate are activities involving mutual technologies.
With these implications, this classification has been used to discuss the possibilities of transferring operations from one place to another, for example decentralizing certain activities certain dependencies between activities can in some cases be handled or coordinated from a long distance; in other cases they must be executed in close proximity. However, it should be pointed out that in many situations, information and communication technology has changed the conditions for the division and (geographic) distribution of work, not least for information-related activities. ICT has thereby influenced what activities and for which technologies activities can be separated. Hence, the technologies now differ in the degrees of freedom when it comes to organizing activities. In we will take a closer look at the impact of one application of e-commerce and its impact on the allocation, production and buying of business services.

The issue of production technologies Exam for IAS has also been recognized in research about possibilities and limitations to use outsourcing, i.e. to contract out to external supplier activities that have earlier been carried out internally. The boundaries between different activities have in these situations been presented as substantial hindrances and/or enablers

The issue is also relevant for suppliers that, in a more efficient and customer-oriented manner, want to supply their customers with packages of service offerings. They want to be able to offer their customers 'naked solutions with options'. For this to work, it is necessary for activities to be able to be grouped and controlled. This is easier if the supplier learns how to work 'modularly': when a customer wants a certain package of supplementary services it should be easy to execute these additional services. They are produced as a 'module of activities' Production technology influences the conditions for carrying out these strategies. If a particular module is created through a mutual technology, the supplier cannot handle the execution alone. The customer must be involved and activated and in that way, the process (execution) can become more complex and difficult to organize.